


Teacups & Roses

by morebeesthanyoucouldimagine, TheNewCancer



Series: Ereri Week 2015 [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ereri Week, M/M, Misunderstandings, summer job, tea shops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-02 11:05:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4057657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morebeesthanyoucouldimagine/pseuds/morebeesthanyoucouldimagine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNewCancer/pseuds/TheNewCancer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He needed to find something to do, the boredom was going to drive him insane. Armin had telegrammed him that he should consider getting a job. Deciding that his best friend was probably right, as he usually is, he went to go try and find a job. </p><p>As he walked past the shop he noticed that there was a small sign in the bottom one of their windows. He walked a bit closer to try to read what it said. Eren had good eyesight, but the excessively fancy font was difficult to read, due to all of its loops and curls. </p><p>Yes, we are hiring. </p><p>Well, that’s what Eren needed to hear. He found a place that might be willing to hire him.</p><p>A tea shop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teacups & Roses

 

 

Once the Survey Corps recovered the case full of titan serums, Hanji finally had enough material to create a serum to counteract it. After many, many tests, they were finally sure that this would bring the end of the titan war. A chemical that reverted the titans back to their human forms. Hanji, with the help of Moblit and Armin, designed a bomb of sorts that would release the biochemical in the form of gas. The Survey Corps used this unique bomb to cure as many titans as possible. In some cases, it just wasn’t possible, and it was safer to kill the titan.

The Survey Corps quickly set up an expedition to reach Eren’s basement and to find out what secrets were hiding in it. The ride to Shiganshina went without a hitch. Once they reached the basement, Eren had the proud moment of using his key to unlock the door. It occurred to most that they could simply beat the door down, but they wanted to give Eren his moment. He deserved it.

In the basement lay remnants of the scientifically advanced world of the past. A world where you could easily speak to a person despite being thousands of miles away. Where machines did the majority of the most dangerous labor. In the world of the past, they had carriages that ran without horses and still managed to be able to go more than a hundred miles per hour! Some of the newly rediscovered technology was too advanced to be replicated immediately. Some machines, especially the telegram, spread quickly through out humanity.

With new weapons, medicine, and technology, humanity began to break out of its cage and spread its wings into the outside world. Civilizations arose quickly, spreading off in all directions. The different settlements kept in contact through the telegram.

Squad Levi tried to stick together after the war, but sure enough, even a squad as tightly woven as theirs began to drift apart.

* * *

  
After being in the Survey Corps for so long, Eren wasn’t used to having so much free time. All this time to himself with no orders, no mandatory cleaning, and no training left him bored as can be. He became so used to a structured and maintained schedule that he didn’t know what to do without one. He tried to pass the time with other activities. At first he tried to take up creative writing, but found that any poem or short story he wrote was utter garbage.

He tried painting, but the colors always ended up terribly, horribly wrong. The shitty proportions made the people he painted look more like grotesque titans. And instead of trying to draw hands, he had them all simply hold their hands behind their backs. He was ashamed of his paintings. One time, Mikasa visited when he was painting. He loudly complained about how hard it was to make art. His sister merely told him that practice would make him better at the skill. But Eren didn’t want to keep practicing, so he moved on to something else.

He tried carpentry, but it was boring. He was good at it, yes, but it put him to sleep on several occasions. He still kept the bird house he made though, and the bright yellow canary now living in it seemed to appreciate that.

He tried writing again, this time he tried to write down a record of what happened during the Titan War. He wanted to make sure that future generations knew what horrors had happened and the sacrifices that had been made so that the future of humanity could be there. Of course he wanted to make sure that the account was as unbiased and factual as possible. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t help but get incredibly emotional in his writing. Providing somber details about the death of his mother was one thing, but constantly mentioning how Jean Kirschtien was a dick was different. Eren was an emotional guy, what can he say?

He needed to find something to do, the boredom was going to drive him insane. Armin had telegrammed him that he should consider getting a job. Deciding that his best friend was probably right, as he usually is, he went to go try and find a job.

He went to the market first to see if there were any jobs available there. Realizing that working at the outdoor market would be hot, cramped, and uncomfortable, Eren changed his mind and decided to look at some of the smaller shops along the main street. He passed by a cobbler, a bakery, a jewelry, and a book store. Unfortunately, none of them had any open positions. As he continued down the street, he saw the local tea shop.

He had never been in the little store before, but it seemed nice. From its charming four-paned windows, Eren could see that the shop had a very floral theme, quite fitting for a place selling tea. Almost everything was either a baby pink, or a gentle blue. Or was it teal? Eren gave up painting because he couldn’t identify colors for shit. He didn’t give a damn if it was chartreuse. Whatever, he knew that it was pretty.

The little shop also had an outdoor patio that was closed in by wrought iron fences. A pink awning provided shade when the sun was merciless. In the spring and summer, the patio was usually full with people having tea parties. Mostly they were older women enjoying scones and fruity tea.

As he walked past the shop he noticed that there was a small sign in the bottom one of their windows. He walked a bit closer to try to read what it said. Eren had good eyesight, but the excessively fancy font was difficult to read, due to all of its loops and curls.

Yes, we are hiring.

Well, that’s what Eren needed to hear. He found a place that might be willing to hire him.

A tea shop.

Could Eren work at a tea shop?

Should Eren work at a tea shop?

Probably not, but if there was anything he had learned from his former Captain, it was how to make tea. Good tea, like the kind they used to serve in Sina. So, he’s probably up to their qualifications. But the point of Eren’s ability to consistently fuck everything up still needed to be addressed. Then again, that would apply towards any job. Eh, at this point, Eren just needed something to do. Anything really. A job working at a tea shop might be nice and peaceful.

Finally making up his mind, he walked into the quaint little tea shop. The deep, earthy scent of black tea greeted him, as well as a read headed woman behind the counter.

“Hello!” She grinned. “Welcome to Kuchel’s, can I help you with anything?” Her voice was light and sweet, almost as if she was singing the greeting.

“Hi, I saw the sign in the window.” He answered, returning her smile.

“Do you want the job?” She asked using her elbows to prop herself up on the counter.

“Um, yeah, if you’re still offering.” Eren nodded. He was slightly worried that the job wasn’t available anymore. He kind of wanted to work here.

“We are. I’m Mise by the way. I’ll go get the boss, and he’ll probably want to talk to you first.” She explained as she walked into the back room. “Oh, and feel free to look around the shop!”

He decided to take her up on her offer. He looked at all the different kinds of teas they were selling. They sold many different kinds of teas. From black teas to herbals, from teas infused with flowers to teas infused with fruits. The tin containers were neatly labelled and placed on the carved wooden shelves. The tea sets for sale were made of porcelain and decorated in different fashions. Most of them were decorated with roses and wildflowers, a few were decorated with picturesque scenes of farms. The one Eren liked the most was the one that was decorated with the Wings of Freedom. Clearly whoever made it had good taste.

Moving on, he noticed that there was a mug on the shelf above the door to the back room. It looked like one of the standard issue mugs from the Survey Corps. It looked eerily similar to his favorite mug from when he himself was in the Survey Corps. It had the same chip on the handle, too.

“Eren.” A strong voice pulled his thoughts away from the mug and to the man standing in the doorway below.

The man before him was rather short. His onyx colored hair was styled into a tidy under cut. His brows were furrowed above his stormy grey eyes. The world seemed to stop for a moment as Eren recognized the older man.

Levi.

“This is the guy who wanted the job.” Mise said as she motioned her hand towards the brunette. Levi grunted in acknowledgement.

“Go make sure they don’t break anything.” He told her, gesturing to the elderly couple that were looking at the tea sets.

“What are you doing here?” Eren nearly stuttered the first word. He was proud to say that the presence of his teenage crush didn’t cause him to make a complete fool of himself.

“This is my tea shop.” He replied.

This was Levi’s shop? So, Levi worked here? Levi worked here. Levi worked here. This might be the best decision he ever made.

“You want the job, huh?” The handsome man asked. Eren opened his mouth to speak but opted to nod instead.

“Well I was going to test any applicants on their knowledge of tea and their cleaning capabilities. However, I trained you myself, so you should be good enough.” Levi paused a moment to think. “What the hell, the job is yours.”

“Yes, sir! I won’t let you down.” Eren smiled and his eyes lit up with his trademark determination.

“Calm down, Eren. I’m not your Captain anymore.” The other man couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the younger man’s antics.

“But you are my boss now.” Eren pointed out.

“I suppose somethings will never change.” He admitted. “Like for instance, you’re still a brat.” A small chuckle left his parted lips. Eren could only smile in response.

* * *

  
Eren’s job was to clean the tables, restock the tea, dust the shelves, and work the counter with Mise. As he was working with the red head he learned a few things about them. Apparently they were agendered. Eren immediately began to use their preferred pronouns. He also found out that they were allergic to tea, but loved tea cups. Go figure.

But Eren had to admit, it was fun to work at the small tea shop. Mise was sweet, the customers weren’t too much of a hassle, and he also got to spend time with Levi. Levi was still as handsome as ever, and it was an absolute treat to see him almost every day.

Levi had changed a little since the end of the titan war. His need for clean was still there, but it wasn’t nearly as compulsive. His brows weren’t constantly furrowed in anger or frustration. A smile or two escaped his lips on a daily basis. Back in the Survey Corps, the man was clearly suffering from a lack of sleep. The dark bags under his eyes had almost made it look like had been punched in the face. Now they had all but disappeared. In general, Levi had become a much calmer, happier person. It warmed Eren’s heart to know that Levi had been taking care of himself.

He couldn’t help but smile when he saw a familiar woman walk through the shop’s front door. It was Mikasa. Which was strange, he thought that she would have sent him a telegram if she was going to be visiting. Never the less, he was happy to see her here.

“Mikasa!” Eren cried happily, greeting his sister with a tight hug. She returned his hug immediately.

“So that shorty hasn’t had a stroke yet.” She said looking at Levi who was helping someone pick out the right tea for their mother.

“Mikasa! I thought you were past that!” Eren whined. He understood why she hated him in the beginning, but at this point, she had no reason to.

“I’m just making an observation.” She claimed dismissively. Before Eren could argue with her about being nice to their former Captain, he heard Kayuya calling his name for help. The line in front of the counter had grown significantly. More than what Mise could easily handle. It was a few days before mother’s day, and a lot of people chose to give their mothers tea as a gift. As he was swarmed by the customers, he lost sight of Mikasa.

Once the crowd had lessened, and he felt like Mise could handle the rest, he decided to take his lunch break. He didn’t need to tell Levi when he was going on his breaks, but he felt like it was polite to let him know.

Seeing that Levi was not in the main part of the store, he knew Levi was most likely in the back room. The back room was where they kept any goods that weren’t on the shelves because there was no room for them, or because they were seasonal and it wasn’t their time to be sold yet. The back room also doubled as Levi’s office.

As he entered the room he was shocked by the sight that lay before him. It was Mikasa and Levi. They were tightly wrapped in each other’s arms. It looked more than just a friendly hug. Especially because Levi and Mikasa weren’t exactly the type for hugs.

Eren lifted his fist to his lips and let out a cough in attempts to get their attention. The sudden unexpected noise startled Levi. He nearly leapt from Mikasa’s embrace, bumping into the shelf behind him. The impact knocked a few of the tin tea containers off of the shelf. This only made Levi look even more flustered.

“I’m going on my break, now.” Eren mumbled. He left the room without another word. As he nearly sprinted towards the door to the main street, Mise sent him a concerned look. He opted to ignore it, and pushed open the door and was greeted by the sun’s glare.

* * *

  
Over his lunch Eren thought about many things. He thought about what might be going on between Levi and Mikasa. He wondered how Levi felt about him, and he especially thought about his feelings for Levi.

He came to terms with the fact that his feelings for Levi had not disappeared as he had thought. In truth, they had grown even more. It hurt him to think that Levi will probably never feel the same way about him. He knew that Levi didn’t hate him, but he wanted it to be more than that.

He accepted the fact that Levi was most likely in love with his sister. It made him sad to think that Mikasa would hide something like that from him, but he would get over it. Eventually.

When he stepped back into the tea shop, he was surprised to see Mikasa behind the counter with Mise. Noticing his confused expression, she explained.

“Ah, welcome back Eren. Levi let me take over your job while you were gone.” Wait, Mikasa filed in his position while he was away? Did Levi replace him just like that?

“I guess he would trust his girlfriend with something like this.” Eren grumbled. If you were to say that he wasn’t upset, you would be a filthy liar.

“Eren, what the hell.” She muttered.

“I saw what was going on between you two!” Eren wanted to shout, but he kept it just beneath a yell. He didn’t want to disturb the customers.

“He’s my cousin.” Mikasa sighed. She had to fight the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose in exasperation. Her brother was an idiot.

“Wait. What?” His voice came out as a high shrill.

“He telegrammed to meet him here because there was something he needed to tell me.” She went on to elaborate. “If I hadn’t known that he was gay as hell than I would have been concerned that he was trying to get into my pants.”

“Mikasa!” Shushed Eren. There are somethings that shouldn’t be said so nonchalantly in a tea shop.

“It turns out that all this time he was doing research on the family tree. Apparently we are second cousins.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Eren mumbled. You would have to be blind to not see the similarities between the two.

“Besides even if we weren’t cousins he wouldn’t be interested in me.” She continued as she placed some just purchased teas into a bag, handing it to the customer. “I know he has someone he’s interested in, though.”

“Whoever it is, is a lucky man.” Eren sighed. How he wished he was that man.

Mikasa only smiled at her brother.

* * *

 

“It’s been a slow day for business, hasn’t it?” Levi tried to strike up conversation as he walked up to the counter. Truth be told, it was already noon and only five people had come through.

“Yeah, it’s rather odd.” Mise gently spoke before letting out a large yawn.

“Do you think you could handle the shop for the rest of the day, Mise?” Levi asked, but honestly it was more like an order.

“Sure.” They grumbled.

“What am I going to be doing?” Eren piped up. “I mean, if I’m not working here, then-”

“How about you come with me to lunch?” The older man offered.

“Of course!” Eren didn’t even think before the words slipped through his lips.

Once he heard Eren’s positive response, Levi offered his hand to Eren. Grasping it, Eren followed him to the door. He looked back at Mise to see that their grin stretched from ear to ear. What the hell were they smiling about? They had to cover both his and Levi’s shift.

And then he realized. Levi was holding his hand. Levi never held people’s hands, they were filthy.

Wait a second.

Levi liked him.

Levi liked him.

Levi liked him.

Levi was taking him out to lunch.

Levi was taking him on a date.

“Oh.” Eren breathed.

Levi only smiled in response.


End file.
